| Many new prospectors have a
problem finding good places to prospect for gold. Many places are either
located on private property or already held as a private mining claim. As a
result, many people get together and form clubs. The prospecting clubs and
acquire their own claims for the use of the members. However sometimes a
new prospector would like to try his hand panning for gold at least the
first few times without having to pay the money to join a prospecting club.
This webpage describes a beautiful little spot where one can dredge, sluice,
metal detect, or pan for gold. It is called Mineral Bar campground and is
located where the Colfax - Iowa Hill Road crosses over the American River.
In the terms of the old miners, a bar is a place where gold bearing gravel
accumulates. |
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| The North fork of the American River
has been mined for its gold since the days of the 49ers. At Mineral
Bar, you can get a feel for that historic time, when hearty miners
struggled to win a living by working the sands and gravels of the
River. The signs are all around in the form of many large piles of
rocks which were left behind by the miners who worked this area.
Some nice nuggets have been found here, and it is still possible to
find some nice flakes without too much effort. The picture at right
with the buffalo nickel shows gold flakes taken from a days panning
on the North Fork of the American River and Mineral Bar. If you
know how to pan for gold and know where to dig, you should be able
to get a similar amount with a days worth of effort. Much of this
gold is flat and flaky and has been washed down from the hydraulic
mines up above at places like Iowa Hill.
Gold likes to work its way down to the bedrock,
and it's usually in the cracks and crevices of the bedrock that you
will find the most gold. If you would like to read more information
on placer mining in general, and some instructions on how to pan for
gold, be sure to check out my website on gold panning located here:
Instructions On Panning For Gold
Basic Placer Mining Methods |
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| Prospecting
for gold is allowed at the mineral bar campground area because it is
part of the Auburn State recreation area. Even though it is
government land, no mining claims can be staked here because of its
status as a recreation area. because it is such a beautiful spot, a
number of people come out here both the camp tend to just relax and
even swim in the river. In the winter, the River is deep and cold,
but in the summer a shallow and warm enough for swimming. The kids
in the family will especially enjoy the swimming opportunities. The
water feels mighty nice on a summer's day.
Both Colfax and Iowa Hill were important towns in
the gold rush days. If you come to stay and try your hand
prospecting at Mineral Bar, you should set aside a little bit of
time to visit both Colfax and Iowa Hill and see the historic sites
there. The town of Iowa Hill is practically surrounded by large old
hydraulic mines, we're miners washed down the entire hillside to
capture the gold located there. It is easy to see the hydraulic
mines on both sides of the road just before it enters Iowa Hill. On
the north side of Colfax is the Bear River, and it also has gold in
it, and campground available along that river as well. So if you
find things full at Mineral Bar, you might also try to see if there
is an opening at one of the campgrounds along the Bear River. |
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Getting to Mineral Bar is not too
difficult - it is about 2 miles East of the little town of Colfax,
northeast of Sacramento. The map below shows what you need to know
to get there. Take the Iowa Hill Road which diverges from the
frontage road on the east side of I-80. It intersects the frontage
road roughly a quarter mile south of the Chevron gas station. The
road down is paved all the way, but it is a little steep in places
and there are a couple real sharp turns. The road is not advisable
for larger motor homes. Its a popular camp spot and usually nearly
or completely full on weekends during the summer. Arriving early on
Friday or on Monday are usually best if you want to camp. Even if
the camp spots are full there is still plenty of day parking for
non-campers. There are limited facilities: pit toilets only and no
running water other than what is in the river (and that is not safe
to drink). Even so, it has good gold and is less than an hour from
the Sacramento area, a perfect place to get away from it all, a
quiet spot well worth the time to stop and enjoy a visit to the
area. The nearest supermarket in this area, which is also the best
source for food and other goods, is located behind McDonald's in
Colfax. |
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